The invention relates to a filter arrangement for separating radio frequency energy from signal energy in a signal line in a multi-layer printed circuit board.
Electronic components in many electronic devices have to be protected against electromagnetic influences. This can be effected by filter arrangements.
DE 38 23 469 A1 discloses a filter arrangement for filtering a plurality of lines which are guided in a housing from a chamber containing electromagnetic fields through a partition to a device provided in a shielded chamber. The partition is constituted by a multi-layer printed circuit board. The printed circuit board comprises a continuous intern grounded surface which is electrically connected to the housing and has openings acting as signal feed-through means, through which through pieces are passed. Filter components are mounted on the printed circuit board. The through pieces form a capacitor with the grounded surfaces, though which high frequency signals are deviated to ground. The opening is very narrow, such that no disturbing fields can pass there through into the shielded chamber.
DE 196 30 720 A1 discloses a filter arrangement for separating a region containing radio frequency fields from a region shielded from radio frequency fields. The filter arrangement is provided along a separating surface in a multi-layer printed circuit board arranged in a metal housing. The separating surface extends transversely to the planes of the layers of the printed circuit board. Grounded metal surfaces are provided along the separating surface in layers which are separated by an intermediate layer. Strip conductors pass through the separating surface in the intermediate layers. Conductive areas are formed in these strip conductors in the region of the separating surface, these conductive areas together with the grounded surfaces forming filter capacitors for shunting radio frequency fields. In the region of the separating surface the housing is divided into two chambers by a partition. EP 0 688 158 A1 discloses a similar filter arrangement.
One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a very simple filter arrangement for separating radio frequency energy from signal energy on a signal line in a printed circuit board.
Another object of the invention is to provide a filter arrangement which is able to effectively filter out high radio frequencies in signal lines.
According to one feature of the invention, the signal line to be filtered extends at least partly in a first layer of the multi-layer printed circuit board, a grounded surface is arranged in a second layer of the printed circuit board, the signal line to be filtered is interrupted in the first layer in a filter region and continued in a third layer of the printed circuit board, the second and third layers being located on opposite sides of the first layer.
The invention is based on the idea to makes use of the skin effect for separating radio frequency energy from low frequency signal energy. According to the skin effect, a high frequency current is not evenly distributed over the total cross section of a conductor, but is concentrated at the surface of the conductor. This is caused by the inner self-induction. Thus, with high frequencies, radio frequency currents just flow in a thin surface layer of the conductor such that the area of the corresponding electric circuit is minimized. This effect can be observed in solid conduit shields (tubes) in which the transimpedance increases when the frequency is increased, because, due to the skin effect, the radio frequency disturbance current flows more and more on the outside of the shield and the signal current is more and more decoupled from the radio frequency current.
Such a decoupling of the signal current from the radio frequency current due to the skin effect is also observed in the signal line to be filtered. When the signal line is suitably constructed, for example as strip conductor in the proximity of a grounded surface, the radio frequency energy will be concentrated on the side of the signal line facing the grounded surface. The side of the signal line remote from the grounded surface is then, to a large extent, decoupled from radio frequency energy, such that the actual signal path can be continued here without being disturbed by radio-frequency energy. In the filter region the signal line or strip conductor is interrupted such that just a small cross-coupling of radio frequency energy into the processing region to be protected from radio frequency energy is possible. This results in reflection of radio frequency energy. Of course, the direct signal path in one and the same layer is also interrupted. The signal path is continued in another layer which is located on the side of the signal line remote from the grounded surface. Thus, the signal line to be filtered is located in a layer between the layer containing the grounded surface and the layer containing the signal continuation line. The continuation of the signal path in another layer is effected through one or several feed-throughs. Hereby, an xe2x80x9casymmetricalxe2x80x9d skin effect is achieved in that the second conductor-containing layer is grounded, whereas there is no such grounded layer on the other side of the signal line, resultingly producing an asymmetric arrangement of the grounded conductor-containing layer in the vicinity of the signal line.
Preferably, the second and/or the third layer is a layer adjacent to the first layer. Thus, the grounded surface is located as closely as possible to the signal line to be filtered. The continuation of the signal path can also be effected in an adjacent layer. However, in order to achieve a better decoupling it can be advantageous to continue the signal path in a layer which is located farther away from the signal line to be filtered.
Behind the filter region the signal line can be continued again in the first layer. This is again effected by one or more feedtroughs. Then the signal line to be filtered is divided into three sections, namely two sections separated from each other in the first layer and a third section in the third layer.
In order to improve the filter effect the signal line to be filtered can comprises one or several capacitor surfaces in the filter region. These capacitor surfaces can be formed by enlargements of the signal line or the strip conductors.
In the case in which the protection of the processing region from radio frequency energy is not sufficient when using the described arrangement alone by making use of the skin effect, a combination of L- and/or C-filters can be used together with the described arrangement. Such L- and C-filters are known per se and, therefore, are not described in detail herein.
Inductances, for example in the form of discrete inducors or integrated coils (that means inductances realized by corresponding shape of strip conductors), can be provided in the third section. Capacitances can be arranged in front of or behind these inductances as seen in the direction of the signal flow. The integrated inductances are preferably arranged adjacent the surface, such that the effect thereof is as large as possible. Instead of inductances, also ohmic resistances can be used.
Usually, the printed circuit board in arranged in a housing having connectors. The measures described above are very effective when the radio frequency energy substantially or exclusively propagates on the signal line or in the feed lines from the connector of the housing to the strip conductors. If, however, it has to be assumed that the radio frequency energy also expands as radiation within the housing, then the region containing the radiation (xe2x80x9cdirtyxe2x80x9d chamber) can be separated from the region to be protected (xe2x80x9ccleanxe2x80x9d chamber) by means of a radio frequency shielding wall, which can be arranged in the filter region, in front of the filter region as well as behind the filter region.
Using the described arrangement based on the skin effect, it is possible to obtain an effective radio frequency filter throughout the range of 100 MHz and up to the GHz-range, because the skin effect is getting more and more effective when the frequency increases and the positive effect of the arrangement is maintained.
It is, of course, possible not only to filter one single signal line, but also to filter in the above described manner several signal lines, for example formed as strip conductors in one and the same layer or in different layers.
Further objects and features of the invention will be apparent to a person skilled in the art from the following specification of a preferred embodiment when read in conjunction with the appended claims.